one Anderson-themed anthology;
two novels by Greg Bear;
three alternative histories by SM Stirling.
I have just received Marching Through Georgia (New York, 1991), Volume I of Stirling's Draka alternative history tetralogy, but it will be a while before I post much on this novel because I am still involved in rereading Anderson's Time Patrol series.
As in some of his other works, Stirling ends this book with brief appendices explaining the background of the specific alternative history. To avoid confusion, in these appendices, the author directly addresses the reader, contrasting "...our history..." (p. 372) with the fictional one. Thus the appendices are not written as from within the fictional history although that approach might have generated greater verisimilitude. On the other hand, the appendices could turn out to be narrated by a fictional observer of the Draka timeline who is based in a world more like ours. However, such a revelation would have to be made in a further volume and is not necessary for the plot of this novel.
I hope to get inside the Draka world as I previously got into Stirling's Angrezi Raj, Commonwealth of New Virginia and Lords of Creation Solar System but meanwhile I expect to find more to write about Anderson's Time Patrol.
2 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
One of the interesting things about Stirling's Draka books is how he makes many of the Draka characters seem sympathetic, with many individual Drakans (or Drakas?) showing themselves as having many fine and admirable qualities. And THEN showing us how QUESTIONABLE their beliefs and society are. I don't want to say more than this because it would risk revealing spoilers.
Sean
Kaor, Paul!
One thing I like about Stirling's books is his use Appendices to give readers some more information about the peoples, histories, societies, technologies, etc., of the alternate universes we see in his Angrezi Raj, New Virginia, Draka series, etc. Or extracts from fictional editions of the ENCYLOPAEDIA BRITANNICA for the Lords of Creation books. Something I wish Poul Anderson had done for some of his series (esp. the Technic History).
In fact, I wonder if Stirling was inspired to compose these Appendices from the Appendices to JRR Tolkien's THE LORD OF THE RINGS. It's plain from some of his books that Stirling was a fan of Tolkien.
Sean
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